DreamWorks Dragons Dawn of New Riders

While the action adventure game is fun, there isn't really a lot of depth or original gameplay in this game. Dreamworks Dragons Dawn Of New Riders is easy to pickup and play with simple mechanics like exploring, combat, and some puzzle-solving. For kids who like DreamWorks Dragons movies, they'll enjoy the familiar characters and locations, and they'll welcome the new additions to the universe. The graphics are decent, with some nice special effects, too, including transparent rainbows in front of misty waterfalls and subterranean dungeons lit by colorful, glowing artifacts. The missions are somewhat varied and there a few different areas to unlock and explore. There are some light role-playing game (RPG) elements, like buying and selling items, and upgrading skills. Scribbler and Patch work well together, such as Patch freezing enemies with its breath, so Scrribber can better hit the slow-moving enemies with his sword.

But there are some shortcomings: Almost all the dialogue is text-based, and there's a lot to move through to get to the action, so don't expect younger kids to read much of it. Too bad the developers didn't have voice actors to read the lines, and instead decided to include some odd grunts and noises (perhaps this decision was to make it easily converted to other languages). Ironically, for a game that includes dragons, much of the action takes place on the ground. And when you do take to the skies, the controls aren't as smooth as they are for the rest of the game. Plus, the game is single-player only, and without random map or mission generation, there's little reason to play a second time around once you've beaten it. Overall, Dreamworks Dragons Dawn Of New Riders is a good but not a great game -- especially for younger players and those who love the movies its based upon.